Love in times of War
by arery
Summary: An alliance between dark guilds led by Zeref tries to start a war against the kingdom of Fiore, and guilds as Fairy Tail have the responsibility of protecting and preventing this from happening. However, not all members are humans. The existence of dragons is another fact difficult to ignore.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"By no means" answer the King of Fiore, one more time, sighing. After some powerful demons attacked cities near Bosco, it was really difficult to him to concentrate in what the old man was asking him.

"Because we are having a hard time now, is the reason why you should listen to me" said Makarov from his place on the desk across the man, "there were a lot of deads, orphan children that need help and a place where to go. Why can't you help me with this task?"

"I don't have enough sources and means for a refuge right now"

Makarov glared the King, anger coursing through his body. The King wasn't a bad person, but what he said sounded very inconsiderate coming from him. It was his country after all, his people. "They wouldn't be a burden, they can actually help a lot…" babbled him, looking away. The King heard him and watched intently, narrowing his eyes with a lot of curiosity. He made a gesture with his hand to indicate he could continue his speech.

"I mean, they are part of the town, and I can teach them the arts and magic necessary to live a full life and, if they agree, protect Fiore. After all they had been through, they deserve a second chance" continued Makarov, waiting expectantly for an answer from the King, who clicked his tongue.

"All right Makarov, I agree, but they are your responsibility. I will only finance the place".

The new master could't avoid a smile with his answer, convincing this man was a real challenge. "Thank you! You will not be disappointed. Now, I have a lot of things to do...". Saying this, he left the man without waiting a farewell, the King could only say:

"Good luck, old friend"

* * *

"Fairy Tail uh? That name is…interesting" stated a redhead girl, while she and other children were waiting in the street a supposed someone who would take them to the refuge. A patch covered one of her eyes and her clothes were worn and dirty.

"I think it's stupid if you ask me" answered a boy about the same age as she, who was wearing only a pair of boxers, but his clothes were all over the street. His town was destroyed by Deliora, a powerful demon that was only stopped because of the sacrifice of his master, Ur. She taught him and Lyon, his partner and foster brother, Ice Make magic. However, Lyon disappeared after the incident and nobody heard anything about him since then.

"What did you say!?" said Erza, the redhead girl, scaring the boy, and then sighed, touching her forehead "just put some clothes on"

"Crap!"

"Where are the Strauss brothers? I heard they already know some magic" asked curiously a little Lucy, daughter of a noble family wich died because of the attack to her town. The Dragon King, Acnologia, the most feared dragon, was the responsible of that. It was a miracle that she and Levy Mcgarden, her friend since ever, survived.

All the orphans waiting there, who lost everything in war, never imagine that a new beginning was behind that name: Fairy Tail.

"They are already there" answered unexpectedly a tiny old man smiling behind them. They flinched and turned around to face the voice, and relaxed. While the children continued staring at him, he explained: "I'm sorry for being late, my name is Makarov, and I'm the master of what I prefer calling guild rather than refuge".

Walking a few blocks and arriving at the big building with a strange symbol over it, they opened the entrance doors and didn't expected what they find: people shouting, laughing and fighting everywhere. Children, men and women, everyone was causing a ruckus of big magnitude. _Are they celebrating something?_ wondered a little Levy, while holding her book, her only possession, in her hands tightly. "Welcome to your new family" said the old man.

Everyone calmed down when the master entered: nobody wanted to be a victim of the giant wrath.

Later that day, everyone was introduced and welcomed affectively, and officially a new wave of wizards arrived to stay in Magnolia. However, nobody awaited that three years later, two kids quite peculiar entered through those doors, with a few secrets below their appearance.

* * *

 **Three years later**

Everyone was observing the two figures covered in cloaks that arrived behind Gildarts, a member of Fairy Tail (although he wasn´t usually there) and an old friend of master Makarov. He had found these two boys around 12 years old in the woods, apparently alone without any family and home, after coming back for a long mission.

Their faces were barely visible because of their clothes, but it was clear they were not siblings. They had common features, like their teeth and slitted eye pupils, but nothing more. Black hair and pink hair, tanned skin in contrast to a clearer skin, red eyes and green eyes: they contrasted quite a lot.

Levy looked closely at the serious boy who was in front of her, fascinated by something she couldn't describe. He stared back for a moment and then looked away.

"This kids here are Gajeel and Natsu" Gildarts put his hands over the heads of each one while saying their name, interrupting everyone's train of though about them. The boys glared back at him in response, but he ignored this and continued: "They are new members of the guild… and I hope you feel comfortable here" whispered to the two of them.

"Yeah, whatever" was the only answer Gajeel gave and, abruptly, he pulled away to sit in an area of the guild away from everyone. Levy wanted to follow him, but decided against it. _He may not feel comfortable enough yet_ she thought empathetically. Meanwhile Natsu…

"What did you say stripper?"

Gray looked down at himself "Not again!" and continued mocking Natsu "what you hear squinty eyes!" They started fighting , stumbling with other people in the process, until Erza decided to intervene. "Problem boys?" and after that they seemed like best friends, hugging each other. Erza was really scary when she wanted to.

Lucy sighed; _clearly Natsu won't have any problem in adapting to his new home_ , and then laughed to herself watching the scene and decided to approach with the intention of starting a conversation with this weird guy.

Meanwhile Makarov approached Guildarts, who was trying (and failing miserably) to talk to his daughter Cana, only to be rejected a minute later. "I need the details of your mission as soon as possible" he informed in a serious tone. Gildarts nodded, and followed the master to his office to talk more privately.

"Acnologia is a monster, I can't believe a beast like that really exist" Gildarts was showing Makarov his injuries, an entire arm and leg was ripped off his body, replaced with metal members. That was the S class mission he was coming from, barely alive. Fighting and eliminating a bunch of demons was nothing for Gildarts, but a dragon was a very different story.

"I see…I am sorry if I caused you so much trouble" honestly Makarov didn't expect The Black Dragon to appear, his mission involved others... "What happened with the other two dragons? The ones who were outside of Magnolia?"

At the beginning Gildarts seemed reluctant to tell him "I saw them pass by first… They weren't hatchlings, but neither adult dragons I could tell. I decided that attacking them wasn't necessary. The worst they did was hunt a little, they never tried to attack Magnolia or me" he tried to explain himself and was prepared for a scolding that never came. Instead he listened "I agree". He opened his eyes in surprise.

The reason of his surprise was that part of his mission was to eliminate these dragons. Coexistence between humans and the remaining dragons was a difficult subject for the Magic Council to discuss. However, not every dragon was evil, and not everyone of them wanted to destroy the kingdom. And he knew these dragons were friendly, _at least I hope so_ he thought sweatdropping.

"We must keep a very close eye on them, but this must remain a secret." Makarov stated. Gildarts chuckled in response:

"That is the reason why I brought them to the guild with me".

* * *

 ** _Hi everyone! It's a bit short, but I was just playing with this idea I was having lately. I'm trying to improve. It´s going to be most Gale, with mentions of other pairings. Hope you enjoy! Constructive criticism is welcome, I would love to hear your opinions._**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Eight years had passed since Natsu and Gajeel joined the guild. A lot of things were the same as always: Fairy Tail caused commotion and disturbances anywhere they went, and every member who came didn't seem to help the situation out. The master cried every time he watched the amount of complaints he had received and thought about the amount of letters of apology that he had to write. But other than that, he couldn't be happier, because he had formed a beautiful family.

Natsu and Gajeel didn't take long to get used to it. They approached their partners and formed friendships that would have been unthinkable before joining the guild. At the beginning they isolated themselves from the rest of the kids, but after some time they realized that they weren't so different from humans like they used to think. However, the weight of their secrets sometimes made them feel drowned and locked up. It was not a matter of every day to say: _You know that actually we are dragons in human form? We always were, but that doesn't change a thing, right?_

Luckily, the guild members were used to their strange routine that was every so often taking a mission alone or leaving for a few days. They needed it after all: they could not stay in either of the two forms constantly, they needed to use all the magical power accumulated for several days.

The two who were affected more by the mention of the word dragon were Levy and Lucy. This wasn't a coincidence: twelve years ago it had been one of those beast wich had taken away and destroyed everything the girls once know: their family, their town, their friends. The rest of the guild didn't react thereon. Every time the subject was mentioned the dragon slayers could literally feel (smell) their fear. And when someone from Magnolia reported that he had seen them on the outskirts of the city, their reactions left them with a feeling of guilt in their guts. But they couldn't avoid being there, they also needed protection after all.

Gajeel remembered that one time the stupid Salamander let out a roar while he was flying over the city that could be heard even at the guild hall. He instantly approached Levy to relax her a little and give her some comfort. Ironic, uh? Although they maintained a good relationship with the city, fear didn't disappear. He didn't want to imagine how Levy would feel if she saw a dragon firsthand.

Why were they called dragon slayers? They didn't want to arouse suspicion, so they put their magic within those terms. The explanation they gave was that they had been implanted with dragon lacrimas into their bodies like Laxus, master Makarov's grandson, and granting them Iron dragon slayer magic and Fire dragon slayer magic. This seemed to convince most of people out there, although they never failed to ask about their past, only to be answered with nothing but ironies.

Their escapades and consequent appearance and sights of the two dragons did not seem to raise doubts for the moment. However, it was a matter of time until someone realized and connected these facts. In Natsu's case, several times was followed by an insistent Lucy, who did that out of concern rather than curiosity. She felt that the person who had become his best friend didn't trust her, and that broke her heart. When he disappeared she noticed him very different, like something was bothering him.

Today wasn't the exception. Lucy followed him with determination, wishing he didn't notice, and entered the forest behind Natsu. But a moment later, he turned around and sighed "Luigi, I know you are out there. Dragon slayer nose, remember?"

Lucy initially felt embarrassed to be discovered while following him, other times she simply lost sight of him and he had never turned around to say something to her. But when she heard carefully his words she felt anger run through her body "My name is Lucy, NOT LUIGI! Seven years as a team and you still don't learn my name? Maybe I shouldn't let you into my apartment anymore" she folded her arms and turned her back to Natsu.

He panicked, "Just kidding Luce! Don't be like that!" Natsu whined. He practically lived more time with Lucy at her home than in his own house. He felt really alone there. And he really felt very comfortable with her "I promise that when I return we will take a mission to pay your rent, what do you think?" he gave her one of his goofy grin.

"Don't make me remember about the rent" Lucy cried, trying to avoid the mental image of the landlady scolding her. She finally accepted.

Natsu didn't waste any time in saying goodbye. He needed to transform now, being a long time in his human body always started to affect him adversely. He ran and when he was out of her sight, his body began to shift form and a massive red dragon stood where the man was just a moment later.

Meanwhile, Lucy only sighed and a glint of concern in her eyes appeared. _Sometimes you are an idiot, you know that?_ She thought.

* * *

When Lucy arrived to the guild she wasn't surprised to encounter a brawl between those who were there. Many had not taken a mission that day or just decided to relax a little in the hall, drinking and feasting like always. The fight was mainly between Gajeel and Gray, so neither was startled to hear the cries of support saying "you can do it Gray-sama!" from Juvia.

It was a pretty quiet morning despite everything. She sat at the bar and started chatting with Mira while she was serving some drinks. At that moment Levy came and hugged her by her neck, startling Lucy a little, "Lu-chan! How was your persecution of Natsu?" Levy was the one who understood more about how she felt, but many times the only things she said was to highlight the fact that _"they were so in love!"_. Yeah, as if that were to happen! Natsu was the most clueless person she had ever met. She just couldn't picture him thinking about romantic stuff, less with her in it, despite the closeness between the two.

"Nothing new, he promised that we would go to a mission when he returns to pay my rent, although knowing Natsu, we will end up paying the destruction he will cause" she sighed "then he just left"

Levy hated to see her friend so depressed, so she was silent for a moment, thinking about something. Then she said "Well, we don't know when he will return…meanwhile we could take a mission together! What do you think? It has been a long time since we took one only the two of us."

Lucy thought that was the best idea she could have; missions with Levy were always a good way to pass the time and strengthen their bond. "You are my salvation, did you know that?" she took her arm excited by the idea "let's find a job!" Immediately the girls went to see the available jobs on the board.

They took their time to think what they should take, and decided to look for something calm. Missions with more payment or S-class were finishing a bunch of demons or defeating wizards from dark guilds who were causing problems, wich was very dangerous for the two of them. No, for everyone, no matter the physical strength someone may have. You never have to go on a mission entrusted, or it could end in tragedy.

While they were thinking that is when they saw a request job that say:

 _We need help locating lost relics in the city of Malva, near the border with Bosco. The presence of the dragons slayers would be helpful. 500,000 J._

Extra data was added below for the person who decided to take de job.

Lucy and Levy looked at each other and could not help laughing when reading the last part. This was not the kind of request Natsu nor Gajeel would take, less if involving finding something and NOT destroying it!

"Why would they ask for their support in a mission like this one? Because of their sense of smell of something like that?" wondered Levy, Lucy simply shrugged. "It may be, I'm not sure. But it seems a perfect job for us" she giggled and took (or better stole) the paper. _I don't think they would mind if we take this little mission_ , both thought at the same time.

They went to the bar and gave it to Mirajane so she could record it like taken, and decided to leave early in the morning. The day passed fast, and Lucy said goodbye with the excuse of going to the market and preparing her stuff for tomorrow. Levy went to the door with the same intentions in mind when she came across Gajeel, who seemed to be headed outside. They exchanged a glance and Gajeel smirked, showing his fangs.

"Returning home early, shrimp?". Levy couldn't help glaring at him when he called her names, but then sighed: there was no point in getting angry about it. Besides, it felt more like a gesture of confidence rather than an insult.

"That's right, getting ready for a mission tomorrow with Lucy" she informed while they passed through the gates of the guild.

"And what kind of mission are you taking?" he raised an eyebrow while asking. _Oh no. Have he heard us? I don't think so, he just seems curious_ , Levy started to panic, but decided to simply answer "that is confidential" while winking, although she blushed. That seemed to distract Gajeel, who just turned around while also turning red. He was just worried! When it came to S-class or higher rank jobs, he was the one who usually accompanied her.

"Whatever, just lets walk to Fairy Hills" he started walking, ignoring Levy's protests. _I am capable of going on my own_ she thought while puffing her cheeks. But deeply, she loved that caring side of the iron dragon. And in that way their day finished, teasing each other and preparing for tomorrow.

The next day, Lucy was sitting on a bench in the train station waiting for Levy. She was not surprised because Levy was usually late _. I'm sure she stayed up all night reading or something like that. Like always._

"Lu-chan!" suddenly heard her partner shout. She got up to meet her and get the tickets to a city near Malva. From there they decided to walk to the meeting place and, if they had time left after the job was finished, they will go sightseeing a little. Their enthusiasm was still standing, because they never imagined what would happen next.

* * *

"Did you send the mission application as prompted?" asked a cold voice with a lot of authority.

"Yes, master. It was already received and took by the dragons. It is a matter of time until they reach the city and we can catch them as instructed"

"FOOL! Don't be so confident of yourselves. We must be prepared; it isn't going to be an easy task to defeat them. After all, they are wild beasts. Set everything in place for when the time comes"

"Understood, my lord" the man in front of him answered after being reprimanded, while leaning and then he retired from the room.

"I look forward to see you again, Natsu Dragneel and Gajeel Redfox"

* * *

Gajeel was sitting in the guild hall, bored as fuck without Levy there. Gray and Erza (and Juvia who followed them, of course) were out on a mission for the next three days, and Salamander hadn't come back yet. He felt pretty lonely… The guild was quite empty lately, and more at this time of the afternoon. "Tch, I 'll take a job before I lose my head" he told himself and he headed where Mirajane was, behind the bar as usual.

"Oi, some interesting request available?" he wasn't in the best mood, so he didn't wanted to talk at that time more than necessary. However, Mirajane didn't lose her charisma and smile "Oh Gajeel! I found it strange to see you at the guild today, I thought you were heading on a mission with Levy" and with Lucy too, but the Take Over mage knew very well how the relationship between the Solid Script mage and the Iron Dragon slayer was. His attitude wasn't going to deceive her. Mira in her mind already pictured their wedding and 33 babies.

"Uh? She didn´t tell me what it was" and with a more confidential tone he added "Ya know?"

"Of course! Here is the application if you want to read it and may be catch Levy" she winked. Tch, _Which was the fuckin problem with these women these days? They just want to bother me or what?_ Gajeel thought a bit uncomfortable. He began to read the paper indifferently. It looked bored, what was the big deal with it? And why would they need the dragon slayers' help?

And that's when he saw the name of the place. _Malva. That city… IT COULDN'T BE._ Many memories seemed to invade his mind at the same time, and Gajeel started to get agitated.

"OI, DO YOU KNOW HOW THEY PLANNED TO REACH THAT CITY?" he asked desperately. All the people there went silent. It was true that Gajeel was a man with little to nonexistent patience, but seeing him lose his temper so suddenly surprised everyone. "MIRA!" he drew the attention to the mage who looked dumbfounded, and didn't answer immediately.

"By train, they departed by train! What is going on Gajeel?!". He didn't even answer and was near to letting out a snarl. He left the guild and started running towards the outskirts of Magnolia to transform. If he was lucky, he would arrive to the city before Lucy and Levy. If he could avoid being seen, better. But he didn't have time for that. _Where did they get themselves into this time?!_

He felt a wave of energy move through his body and he began to change. His chest expanded, and he felt himself become broader, stronger. His skin started to get covered by metal scales,and his hand became sharp claws. He began to flap his large wings and headed to were the girls must be. _Levy, I hope you are okay._

* * *

 _ **Thanks for the follows, favorites and reviews! I hope you like this chapter, please share your opinions with me! On the other hand I want to apologize for spelling mistakes, my first language is Spanish so when I translate sometimes it passes by me. I would try to be more careful. Until next time!**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Lucy and Levy were most of the time of their trip by train talking entertainingly and less of that time sleeping slightly, taking advantage of being the only ones in the wagon. From books or the novel Lucy was writing to gossip about people of the guild, they didn't stop to exchange laughter and secrets.

If there was something that both of the girls were really grateful for was, besides having found a home and meeting people like those of Fairy Tail, having each other. After all they had been through either before and after joining, their friendship was incredible, and apart from obviously having fights like all relationships regardless of whether it is, they were inseparable since childhood. It was impossible for them to be angry with each other for a long time.

Lucy was telling her friend that last week Loke and Virgo decided to visit her and suddenly appeared when she was taking a bath. To that Levy only muttered "pervert" and started laughing at the way the celestial spirits acted most of the time when the train stopped abruptly.

They were sitting across from each other when that happened, causing Lucy to fall forward and Levy to fall on his own seat, and hitting her head slightly. Before they could say anything a man in uniform, who seemed to be from the train service, appeared. They were still recovering from the hit when he talked "I-I apologize for the abrupt braking misses, we had a technical problem and cannot reach your destination." His face was quite pale, and he added quickly, stammering "B-but we are not far away from there, you can easily walk to the city without problems!". The girls looked at each other and sighed: it was not the first time something like that happened to them when they were on a mission, although the man was quite rude saying that.

They got off the train with their bags in hand and watched with their mouths opened that the front of the train was completely destroyed, and the train tracks too. Clearly this wasn´t a technical problem that usually occurred when they traveled.

Carefully, without questioning much what had happened, they decided to take a path surrounded by fields and trees that led straight to the city according to Lucy. However Levy wasn't so sure, and looking around asked "Lu, are you sure we are going to the right way?"

Lucy, who was walking ahead of her, turned around and smiled "Of course! Do you doubt my sense of direction? Here is the map I drew if you want to see" she said while handing Levy the paper she was carrying. It was a sheet full of doodles and sketches that seemed to be made by a child. Levy sweatdropped and tried to interpret it, with no luck.

"If you say so" she surrendered and returned the paper to Lucy. They walked for a while, the sun and long way making them tired, and after a few hours they could see in the distance a city. "We are almost there!" exclaimed a relieved and exhausted Lucy. She was on the verge of calling Horologium for help.

But their joy was over when they saw a man standing in the middle of the road, looking at them with a mischievous smile that generated them much distrust. Levy hated judging people by their appearance, but honestly this blond man seemed like a psycho: he was about her age, with long spiky hair and red eyes that glared at her rigidly.

Without exchanging words, they had a silent agreement and decided to walk by him, carefully but ignoring his presence. But when Lucy stepped next to him, he grabbed her wrist and looked at her pink guild mark on her hand.

"Fairy Tail uh? Don't tell me you have come here for the job about the relics…" he shook his head grinning, and in that moment Lucy began to feel her hand burning where it came in contact with the man's fingers. She grimaced with pain "My name is Zancrow and I'm the one who sent that request. I specifically asked the "dragon slayers", as you call them, to come here, right?"

Lucy tried to pull away from his grasp but to not avail. She could only take a few steps back when he decided to release her wrist, wich was burned badly. "You two little girls are going to cause me a lot of problems with the master!" he started laughing maniacally.

Levy took a defensive posture, her hands ready to cast a spell in any moment, and Lucy placed her good hand over her keys, ready to strike. Her other hand hanged motionless by her side, any movement causing her a great feeling of pain. "Cleary this wasn't a real job. Why Natsu and Gajeel? What do you want from them?" Lucy questioned sharply.

He didn't answer, and his smile was making Levy sick. At that moment more men appeared, a dozen of them, leaded by a man with gray hair and glasses, who started dramatically saying things no one present understood.

"I am called RustyRose, and I deeply regret telling you we can´t provide that information to you". If they weren´t in a dangerous situation, they'd already have begun to laugh. But they were worried about what might happen: these men seemed not to be underestimated.

"We don't need you at all, you two just complicated things more than they were before" Zancrow exclaimed, his face serious for the first time "You must be eliminated, and clearly taking this job was your worst decision ever". Then, with fire magic, hit and brought down the mages, who tried to defend and counterattack. Lucy called Taurus and Levy launched one spell after the other with her Solid Script magic, trying to destabilize them somehow.

But everything was useless: they had superiority in numbers and strength. _They are at another level…_ thought Levy concerned, as she stood with difficulty again. She tried to think of a way to defeat them or at least to try and escape, but no chance was coming to her mind. They were screwed.

"Stop this! LEVY!" Lucy shouted, a few tears streaming down her face when she saw her friend being repeatedly beaten by them. She also had to worry about herself, her situation not being very different from Levy.

Before they could give the final blow or even say something, a powerful roar was heard, at first far away and then closer until they had to cover their hears because of the sound. A strong gust of wind produced by large over-shadowing wings forced everyone present to close their eyes, and a loud thump startled all of them. The man watched in amazement the massive creature before them. "It seems that you were not as useless as I thought, the dragon appeared after all…" babbled RustyRose a little puzzled.

Levy looked up, bending her neck, and couldn't contain her fear: a dragon was watching her shrewdly from above with red eyes, scanning her carefully and then it looked at Lucy, who was also frozen, frightened to death. Levy then realized it was not just any dragon, he was one of the two dragons who lived on the outskirts of Magnolia. _Why was he here?_

They were enclosed, and not knowing what to do, Lucy tried approaching Levy although this also meant being near the dragon, almost touching it. She didn't know what was worst in this entire situation, if these men who were trying to kill them, or this giant beast who could also kill them easily with a snap of his jaws.

Gajeel let out a frustrated growl when he saw them in that state, not believing he was almost too late. And guilt didn't decrease seeing them trembling with fear, victims of stress over the situation.

And then, crouching a little above the mages, he snarled at the people responsible of hurting the two girls, showing sharp fangs and making a deep angry noise in the back of his throat. Anger ran through him as he recognized those people who had been part of his past; who had made him and Natsu suffer so much. He remembered poor Wendy and the twin dragons also. And to that day he still didn't know anything about them at all. It was all Zeref fault, and Grimoire Heart wasn't less blameworthy than him.

A second later, hell broke loose. With a swipe of his metal tail, he knocked out most of those who were trying to get too close. It wasn't a situation as easy as it looked, because while their attacks had no effect on him, Levy and Lucy were another story. And the fact that they tried to run away didn't help at all.

"Levy, we must take advantage now that they are distracted with each other" whispered Lucy, what was heard by Gajeel who moved his huge head to the side and watched them with a narrowed eye "You two stay close; I don't want you running away" he said, more precisely ordered. His strong deep voice startled Levy and made her cringe, not believing that he was actually speaking to them. There was something in his voice that she could recognize for a moment, until it slipped away from her mind.

And he was right: more men appeared from the sides, and the dragon positioned his body protecting them and so they couldn't leave. Better if he had both mages within his field of vision. Meanwhile Levy and Lucy were confused and honestly didn't know what to do anymore, even if the truth was the couldn't do anything.

 _This bastards had planned this for a long time_ , he guessed, while trying to take the advantage, fighting with teeth and claws. He far exceeded Grimoire Heart strength, but suddenly, out of nowhere, he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder and roaring, watched perplexed how a bullet broke his metal scales, wich were almost impenetrable. Three more bullets followed the first, destabilizing him slightly. _No way…_

"Anti-magic bullets, like the ones Bisca and Alzack use! But there is something more in these!" Levy shouted to the dragon. Although she didn't trust him completely, she believed more in him rather than these men.

He felt weakened over time, and looking at Levy who fliched while meeting his gaze, he remembered what his priority was there. _Tch, I don't have time for this!_ Levy felt a slight pressure in her middle section while Gajeel grabbed her and Lucy securely with two giant clawed hands, ignoring their cries of protest. While he was flying away, a fifth bullet went through one of his wings, more pain filling his senses, and with great effort he began to take distance from the ground and the snipers.

It had been a long time since he had felt a pain like that, almost since his last encounter with that dark guild, allies of the demons. He would have to speak with Natsu and Makarov about it when he got back, if his suspicions were right they might be in trouble.

But before heading to the guild, he decided to make a stop to recover a little, inspect his wounds and calm down the two girls who were in his grasp yelling, kicking, and crying non-stop. Gajeel sighed internally while he smelled their fear: _this is going to be a fuckin long and complicated conversation._

* * *

 **New chapter up! Thanks to _shamwoohoo52, dragonfied_ and _lyonsgirl_ for your reviews! And to everyone who followed and favorited it. :) I changed a bit the first chapter, correcting some spelling mistakes. Any advice or opinion? Please share it with me!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Let. Us. GO!" yelled Levy for the tenth time in that hour, bashing her fists on the firm claws wrapped around her. Lucy was trying to pull away with her good hand, the other one supported carefully against her chest. Although he felt the blows as tickling in his talons, saying that Gajeel was fuckin' tired was an understatement. He was exhausted from flying, his wing aching with every flap, and from dealing with the two women who went from mourning and crying to insulting him non-stop. All he did was assure them that he wasn't going to hurt (or eat or kill) them, and for an hour they were just like this. _Too confident_ he thought annoyed.

"Like I said before, if you want an explanation just wait. And stop doing that!" he blurted out with a growl, making a great effort to keep flying and reach Magnolia as soon as possible. His arm kept burning with pain, the bullets still in his body bothering him to no end.

With this the mages closed their mouths, and the way they looked at him made Gajeel feel like a monster. He didn't want to be aggressive, but they didn't hear what he said otherwise. He sighed of relief when he saw in the distance he city, and decided to land in an area of the forest near the guild.

He hit the ground, wich shaked because of the landing, and deposited Levy and Lucy with care onto the grass. Then he collapsed beside them, resting his head on his paws and closing his eyes for a moment.

They simply observed him: they had never been so close to such a creature without it trying to kill everyone, let alone saving them from a situation like that. However, their desire to go running just when the opportunity presented itself didn't decrease.

Levy contemplated the dragon in front of her, and despite of being terrifying and danger personified itself, she thought he was amazing. His large wings were spread by his side, one with a wound that wouldn't stop bleeding, and small horns traveled down his jaw line. Dark spikes covered his back and tail, wich ended in a sharp blade. The powerful muscles of his legs relaxed while he was lying on the ground, towering above them even in that way. He opened his slitted eyes and looked at them, what made the girls move back. He simply exhaled, warm breath cascading over them.

"Stop looking at me like that, shrimp. You told me all you had been through, and we didn't want you two to find out this way"

Levy opened her eyes in astonishment when he called her like that, surprised to find it so familiar coming from him. But then frowned, a bit irritated, "Don't call me that way! Only one person does it, and we still don't understand what you are saying!" Being aware of her outburst she covered her mouth, afraid of his reaction to yelling at him like that.

"If that person is called Gajeel, for your information he is in front of you" he said without thinking twice. He was tired of so many lies for so long, and deep down he was relieved. Shuddering, he turned his head and began to inspect his wounds with his claws, leaving some time to the two in front of him to assimilate what he had said.

If he had been shot while in human form, he sure would be dead. Not only him, any human being would be if pierced by this things. _Damn_. He attempted to take the bullets out of his body, trying in vain. He needed to do it carefully, and it wasn't within his virtues.

"I can't believe it…" whispered Lucy, recovering from the shock of his statement before her friend at her side. Both were still taking steps backwards "Prove it, and then we will hear what you have to say".

Gajeel turned his head slightly and looked warily how they receded. He thought well his next words, because what he was going to ask wasn't something he expected them to do, not while they were still suspicious "Can't do it without your help first"

With that, they stopped in their tracks and listened while he continued talking "can't go back to the form you know with this in my body" he looked at his wounds, "not if I don't want to die trying".

"You aren't asking us to…" murmured Levy. Although she wasn't sure that what he said was true, and the least they could do was help him for the moment.

"Yeah, I need you to take it out from there" finished.

"Levy I would love to help, but…" Lucy pointed at her hand. The truth is she was very good when it came to medical care, several times helping Natsu and covering him in bandages during their missions. Neither she was prepared to do the same in this situation, she admitted. But Levy wasn't too; honestly, it wasn't her strong suit. "Ehh…I uh…"

"Forget 'bout it, you don't have to do it" Gajeel analyzed her reaction, and the last thing he needed was Levy fainting. He could handle it himself. He returned to try removing it, this time with sharp teeth. But he only made it worse. He was starting to get frustrated when he suddenly felt a minor pressure on his neck. He looked and found himself face to face with Levy, who was smiling warmly "Don't worry, I will do it. I believe you…Gajeel".

Trembling, she approached his shoulder to see the wound more closely, feeling his gaze on her back. She still wasn't comfortable with that, but she really trusted him. She had caught what escaped from her mind whenever she heard his rough, deep voice. More confident, Levy started to study what she saw. Lucy was a few meters away, guiding her with instructions.

She touched his shoulder muscles, wich moved beneath the hard, yet soft in a strange way, surface of dark gray scales. She began to open the wound, trying to remove what felt like something foreign inside it. "They are loaded with black magic, I can feel it when I touch them, and it explains why it hurts so much". Saying that, she extracted the first bullet, making Gajeel tense while he let out a growl, sinking his claws into the ground like it was nothing. His tail moved back and forth high in the air. This made her cringe and step back, but he encouraged her, "sorry shrimp, what you're doing is fine". There was no need to scare her after all, and he relaxed.

Levy continued her work until all four ammunitions were outside. Her hands were stained with blood, what made her uneasy. The fifth bullet had gone entirely through his wing, so it wasn't necessary to do something for the moment.

They watched speechless as the dragon before them became his fellow guild member. "Thanks, Levy…" said Gajeel smirking before falling unconscious on Levy's arms.

* * *

"We need to talk to Makarov and Natsu the moment we get to the guild hall. Nobody is going to continue hiding what happened" Lucy stated while helping as much as she could with a hand to carry the dead weight of Gajeel's body, that kept his wounds on the right shoulder and arm. Fortunately they landed near the building and would arrive there before sunset.

Levy tried her best, but was having some difficulties. Trying not to trip, she nodded "I agree, I'm quite concerned"

Lucy's thoughts were directed towards Natsu. Now everything made much more sense about his attitudes and reactions. After all, her common sense wasn't wrong. But she wouldn't act until he spoke with him about it. She was sure there must be a good reason to hide it, although she wanted to kick him in the face for not counting on her. _A Lucy kick would teach him, that's for sure._

After a few minutes they passed through the guild's doors, causing commotion when everyone saw their condition. "It can't be true" gasped Mira covering her mouth. Quickly she made Laxus and Gray, who was back from his mission with Erza (and Juvia), carry them to the infirmary on the first floor. Not knowing what happened, everyone was sick worried about the guild members who were out, including Natsu who wasn't back yet.

"Porlyusica is here! What is going on?" asked Juvia enterning the room. She looked at Gray, who simply shook his head while he went outside to talk with her. He was concerned about the fire dragon slayer, although he wouldn't admit it. Never.

"Stupid dragon" Porlyusica started to inspect their wounds, moody as always. She make a compliment to Levy's work on Gajeel's shoulder in her odd way. "What did exactly happen?"

"We were attacked by a powerful dark guild on our mission, but Gajeel saved us. That's all we know for now" Lucy began to explain hastily "we need to talk with the master as soon as possible".

Erza raised an eyebrow, noticing strange her anxiety and behavior. But without asking for more explanations for now, she simply nodded and crossed her arms "He is on his way here, now it would be better if you relax a little"

Lucy groaned, but she was right: it wouldn't hurt or change anything to wait a few more hours. Levy and Gajeel were already asleep, their breathing steady and rhythmic. She decided to close her eyes and do what Erza said. Besides, it was this or that the requip mage knocked her out, forcing her to rest.

* * *

Makarov pondered his next words, looking at the two mages and the dragon who were in front of him in his office, covered in bandages. He didn't know where to begin to explain everything, and decided, nodding to himself, that the beginning of all was a good choice "Well, maybe you didn't know it, but Gajeel and Natsu are dragons"

"That isn't news, old man! They've already found out by themselves!" he said exasperated, he didn't want to remember what happened. Levy and Lucy remained in silence, waiting for Makarov to continue.

"I'm really sorry that you had to go through that. That guild will not leave this without consequences" angry coursing through his body, he clenched his fist "and I think that's the next point I have to explain" he relaxed and began to explain, especially to the girls, what happened.

"When Natsu and Gajeel came to Fairy Tail eight years ago they were fleeing. They escaped after being locked up for a few years, they were abused by Zeref' followers"

"Zeref!? The creator of demons… so that dark guild that attacked us with cursed weapons was following his orders…" Levy though aloud "it was the reason why they were looking for Gajeel"

"Grimoire Heart, that fucking bastards… I thought they gave up searching us a long time ago" Gajeel said with a blank stare. Memories of torture and suffering kept invading his head. He regained his senses when a small, delicate hand positioned itself over his good shoulder, caressing over his guild mark. Levy was watching him with worried eyes.

"Why are they still chasing after them?" inquired Lucy, lost in her own thoughts. She decided to take off further questions "When is Natsu coming back?"

"Gildarts went to look for him, I'm sure they will arrive any moment now" replied Makarov, sitting on his desk. "Moreover this is becoming a dangerous situation. We have to warn the guild about it"

"Answering your other question, they were caught after… also using their parents" he looked at Gajeel sorrowfully. He didn't feel that he should be the one to say that, but Gajeel just nodded, encouraging him to continue "They began to extract the magical energy from their bodies to store it. They possess it just like us, but in large quantities."

"That is horrible!" said an outraged Lucy.

"So continuously for several years, they did that to prepare a weapon that would end this war. But not with a good ending…"

"You should have told us master! Nobody needs to suffer that way, let alone them" muttered Levy unsettled. She didn't like the look of the dragon slayer nor the direction this conversation was taking.

Makarov looked down, recognizing the truth in her words. "At that time it was better to keep it a secret. Even though people of Magnolia knew about dragons, few people saw the reality of the situation. They didn't have a way to find them, not until now".

"I'm pretty confused. Why now after all this time?" Lucy stated while Levy only nodded.

"And anyone would be. I promise I will give you and the rest of Fairy Tail the details the moment Natsu arrives. In the meantime…" paying attention to their bandages he added "you should rest a little more"

"Master…" both of the mages began to say. They still had several questions, even if they didn't dare to ask. What did extracting energy from their bodies involved? What happened to their parents? What kind of weapon it was? But what he said next made them get up from their chairs and run out of the room on a second, without looking back. Gajeel followed behind them cursing under his breath.

"No buts. I think I should call Erza, she can escort you to the infirmary…and you too, Gajeel". After seeing them run out, he gave a short laught "hehe…that always works". But the fun didn't last long: he was really worried about his children. The important role of the dragons in the war was discovered, and what was to come wasn't going to be easy for any of them.

He really feared for their lives.

* * *

Gajeel was outside the building sitting under a tree, his hand fisted and eyes closed. He was feeling dizzy, light-headed and couldn't breathe well. His heart raced while his body trembled. He was afraid of losing control again.

 _When he regained consciousness after how knows how long, he found out that Sting and Wendy had returned to the cell. He had been knocked out again. The cries of the girl who was in Salamander's arms made him come back to his reality. Gajeel tried to get up, his right arm weaker than normal and covered in blood. He knew that another deep cut would be one more memory in the form of a scar on his arm._

 _Even though none of them was his family by blood, he loved them as brothers, despite the fact he never said that aloud. He failed again to stop them from carrying Wendy out there, and he hated to see her suffer so much. She was only five years old for fucks sake! He approached as far as possible, chains and handcuffs on his hands and feet left him not stray too far from the wall._

 _"How long till the next round?" he heard a guard asking outside, behind the bars. His eyes registered him, adjusted to the darkness of that place. "Not long, let's see who will be chosen this time, and who will be the lucky one today!" laughed the other one._

 _"This is a game for them" Rogue said angrily and irritated at his side, also hearing the conversation between those monsters. And they dared to call them beasts._

 _They hated their morbid rules, reflected in torturing all morning two of them, and during the afternoon other two. During the night were their only moments of peace, when they didn't get mad and did it overnight too. They put them in a strange machine that left them without energies to even move._

 _But what he hated the most was their attempts to separate them with "the lucky one" game. One of them was free from that suffering per day, chosen "randomly". Their psychological game was that the rest of them would feel envy and hate towards the chosen. The worst part is that deep down they felt that way, but the joy that another one was having a free-suffering day overcome other feelings by far._

 _Gajeel preferred to be carried away and being in that machine day and night, rather than seeing Wendy crying like that again. She was asleep after so many tears._

 _A moment later the cell door was opened and he glared hatefully the men who stood in front of them._

 _"Who are you looking at in that way, dragon? It seems that today you want to be chosen for the afternoon shift" one of them mocked him. He grabbed Gajeel and, after thinking for a while, Rogue by the collar of their clothes (or what was left of them). It seemed that today Natsu was going to get some rest after all._

 _They knew that they couldn't use magic or transform because, at the time they tried, the anti-magic cuffs that were still on their wrists would make them twist in pain. But they didn't lose the spirit, and these men wouldn't break the dragons so easily._

 _They were kneeling on the ground scratching at their throats a moment later, Gajeel and Rogue trying to get loose of their grip. The guards, tired of dealing with these children, beat them without mercy. And everything vanished from his sight…_

"Gajeel…" he heard a voice calling, one he would always recognize. The dragon opened his eyes and found Levy crouching in front of him, looking at him with teary eyes. He tried to recover his composure as fast as he could. He was far from being calmed or collected, but didn't want her to see him in that way.

"Uh? What are you doing out here Levy? You should be resting". He then looked away, remembering with regret what had happened. They hadn't spoken privately since their meeting with Grimoire Heart, and he didn't expect her to be talking with him after all.

"Look at me Gajeel…You know you can count on us, on me, don't you? I'm worried about you… But I'm still mad that you haven't told me anything you know" she said, without actually feeling that way.

"You really expected me to say that? When the subject was mentioned you were terrified. It won't surprise me if you were right now. You don't have to talk to me if you don't feel like it" he said leering at her.

Levy shook her head. _Hardheaded Gajeel, never saying how he actually feels or what he is thinking._ He had never been good with words, and decided that an action was the best way for him to seriously understand.

He opened his eyes, very surprised, as she knelt down and hugged him by his neck. He stayed motionless as she spoke "Although I'm still in shock, nothing will change. I want you to remember that! And sorry if I was mean with you".

She was still a bit scared of being close to him, but then she remembered how irrational that was. After sharing so much, he never tried to hurt her in any way. In fact, he always protected her since the first day they met each other, eight years ago. And Levy treated him in a way that made him feel…loved.

For Gajeel, she was the reason he was fond to humans. Before getting to know her, he didn't trust them one bit. He was on the verge of becoming something like Acnologia. But her and Fairy Tail changed it.

He smiled and returned the hug a bit flushed, "I'm the one who should apologize, ya know, for the mess I got you into…Thanks, Levy". He felt, not for the first time, the need to protect her, someone who was really important for him.

It feels good being in his arms…Levy backed a little, her cheeks red as Erza's hair, but smiled. "Silly! Don't ever apologize again" and thinking about her friend she sighed "I hope Natsu take all of this in the best way possible". Gajeel only answered

"Knowing Salamander, we are having a problem with that".

* * *

 **As you can see, I really like this couple... GajeelxLevy. Thanks to _guest (TigerArrowgirl)_ and _shamwoohoo52_ for your reviews! And thanks to everyone for your follows and favorites!  Question: What do you guys think is going to happen next? Is there anything special you would like to see in this story?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Two days had passed since the incident with Grimoire Heart, and Natsu hadn't returned yet. Lucy was desperate to say the least, at the verge of rushing to look for him if not for his fellow guildmates that stopped her. Their reasons were understandable: although they were also worried, nobody would go alone on a suicide mission.

However, doing that wasn't necessary.

Lucy was sitting on a bench in Magnolia South Gate Park, Plue by her side. Missions were suspended for the moment, and that started to raise a lot of questions among the guild.

Makarov provided only some details: that they were under attack, Zeref was responsible and, although Natsu and Gajeel were the targets of the aggression, anyone could be in danger. He preferred to wait for the remaining dragon slayer to come, and then the preparations for an incoming battle would begin…Well; the reality was that Fairy Tail has already begun to do that.

Lucy was ready to return to her apartment and try to distract her mind. She rose from the bench, sighing, and at that moment she heard the sound of steps coming from the other side of the park. She wouldn't have paid attention to it if it weren't for the agitated breathing and the struggle in every step.

Her first reaction was to stay defensive, holding her keys with her right hand, which had healed almost completely thanks to Porlyusica. But what she saw made her stay petrified, standing there, until she started running in the direction where the two men were holding each other in place. "Natsu!"

The named lifted his head and looked at her with narrowed eyes, but didn't seem to focus his sight. Natsu was covered with wounds, his clothes ripped off (or what remained of them) and leaning heavily on Gildarts, who was not in such a bad shape, but was still breathing hard.

"Luce, I ... don't worry," he said softly as she took him by the other side, passing his arm over her shoulders. She snorted in response.

"I'll stop worrying when you start being honest with me, starting with what happened to both of you."

Natsu was quite stunned but said "I don't understand what you are saying... we were attacked by a guild" and then admitted "actually only six people". It gave him a lot of impotence, being defeated so easily, even when transformed. If it weren't for those weapons...

 _Only six mages were able to leave like that the two of them!?_ Lucy was surprised and afraid, but decided it wasn't time to ask questions. Seeing him like that made her feel a pressure in her chest. Lucy didn´t want to make Natsu feel worse.

She hurried and took them to the infirmary, screaming for help while stepping through the doors and in the hall. Gray and Cana were the first to react and helped, carrying them (especially Natsu) to the first floor. "Flame brain ... I should hit you now… Always getting into trouble" Gray mentioned, deep down relieved that his friend was alright.

"You want to fight, ice princess?" Natsu said in response, wincing in pain.

"Maybe when you're really a challenge. Not in this state." Natsu just snorted. He would teach the demon slayer what a challenge is. But before he could say anything else, he closed his eyes and lost consciousness.

* * *

When Natsu regained his senses, the first thing he felt was a slight pressure on his stomach. He opened his eyes and noted that it was already night, his eyes taking their time to get used to the lack of light.

He straightened up, thanking for his ability to heal quickly, due to being a dragon. However, he was too confident and groaned when he returned to fall in the bed of, what he recognized, was the infirmary.

The next thing he saw was blonde hair on his stomach, supporting only a part of its weight on him. He heard snoring and began to laugh helplessly. Lucy had always been of deep sleep. But the movement caused by his laughter made the mage awoke.

Lucy was slow to react, staying one minute staring at Natsu while he was trying to hold his laughter. When hse finally reacted and fully awakened, something happened that the dragon slayer didn't see coming: a kick was directed to his face from where she had been sitting at his side. Ah, the Lucy kick. She was merciless.

"Ugh," groaned "you aren't considered Lucy"

"Idiot!" she hugged him immediately after that, as she continued speaking "I won't apologize for that, you had it well deserved."

"Hey! It isn't my fault I was attacked, I was just ... uh ...doing a little of training?" He said touching his neck, but with this comment she moved away a bit, which disappointed him. Noticing her pained look, he realized that something was wrong. And it wasn't going to be long until he found out what was happening.

"Natsu ... A lot of things happened since you left. And I missed you a lot" she admitted a little flustered, "but let's be honest. Two days ago, Levy and I were attacked by a gro..."

"Who were they?" He interrupted with a calm tone, very atypical of him. But she saw as he clenched his fists and heat of the room rose a few degrees. Natsu had just now noticed, though it were slight, the burn on her wrist.

Lucy, seeing his reaction, took his arm to relax him and quickly continued, "A dark guild, the one that possibly attacked you too. But luckily Gajeel saved us in ... uh ... his other form? Makarov was going to tell us sooner or later. Why didn't you say anything? "

With those last words he was speechless. Natsu then understood what she was saying. It took a while because she never mentioned the keyword. What else happened since I left? Gajeel did ... "I'll kill that idiot" he spitted suddenly as he tried to stand up. Now all the information made sense in his head. _That metal revealed everything!_ His identity, his past, his enemies. And the worst part is that he put in danger what he loved the most. He was eager to do everything in his power to protect her and the guild.

"Nobody's going to kill anyone," Lucy said grabbing him by the shoulders and staring into his onyx eyes. "He saved our life. I never thought you'd actually be... a dragon "saying this she looked away.

Natsu sighed, releasing the breath he was holding "Not completely, but largely. Finally you say the word, I thought you'd be too scared to do it".

"The truth is that I still can't believe it, but I guess you will show me, don't you?" Lucy smiled. It was true that she might be scared when it was proved, but it was impossible to think that Natsu would ever hurt her. And the last thing she wanted was to make the dragon feel more guilt and hate himself more than what his eyes showed. She hated to see him so sad.

"If that's what you want, I will later... What else do you know?" he decided to change the subject, interested in what had happened during his absence.

"The master commented your past and how you… were used by Zeref, and now for some reason he wants you all again," she said softly, adding some details. Lucy didn't want to talk about this right now, not seeing Natsu like that. But with this last comment Natsu was altered, and began to tremble while he muttered "Did he say anything about the others?"

Others? Lucy shook her head, not knowing what he meant by that, and looked confused.

"I see ... He said nothing about Sting, Rogue and Wendy" he was disappointed. A bit of information about them would have lifted his spirits. Seeing the big question mark that was her face, he continued "They are like our brothers, dragons like us. We were captured together, and when we escaped we were still together. But…"

 _That day, the day the dragons managed to get out after so long was something that is not easily forgotten. After so many years, they managed to find a blind spot, and took the advantage when their cuffs were taken away and before their captors managed to sedate the children. They did a great physical effort not to collapse after so much suffering._

 _Natsu had forgotten what the sunlight felt on his scales, being able to fly and stretch her wings to their full size. But they had no time to enjoy the moment, not with Hades, one of the leaders of the Balam Alliance, behind them._

 _Unable to sleep for days, constantly fleeing, that left them more exhausted if that was possible, and that's when the dark guild finally managed to attack them by surprise. At that time they were just kids, little hatchlings, and they easily managed to disorient the dragons and cause them to split into two groups: Sting, Rogue and Wendy on one hand, while Gajeel and Natsu on the other one._

 _The latter group was more fortunate, struggling to exhaustion they managed to defeat the soldiers of Grimoire Heart. But…_

"The others were caught again, we tried to go and help them ... but it was useless!" Natsu suddenly shouted, clenching his fists until his knuckles were white "we even tried to locate the base, but it had changed its location by the moment we recovered " he closed his eyes and sighed.

Lucy stroked his arm, as she felt the room's temperature gradually rose. "First try to recover, and then we will talk with Makarov, I'm sure he has an idea to solve this and rescue your family," she said, trying to comfort him, though there was no consolation for what he had lived: the celestial mage could feel the frustration in his words, the anger with himself for not being able to save those who were like his brothers.

Natsu raised his head. Lucy always knew how to make him feel better even with just a touch and a word "I guess you're right ... the old man mentioned something about his big plan?"

"Something involving other guilds ... Sabertooth and Lamia Scale".

* * *

 **I'm really really sorry for not updating for so long. Last month and this one too were a bit difficult in my life. Sorry, it isn't the longest chapter. But Natsu appeared! And the other dragon slayers will eventually! Thanks to _Guild-Arts, TigerArrowgirl, shamwoohoo, Agent Phil, Lyonsgirl_ and _Agent Sam_ for your reviews! They made me smile and I always read them. Hope you like it!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Everyone listen! Master has something important to say, pay attention" Erza said authoritatively, which silenced the guild immediately, all the fuss present a few seconds ago ending.

On the second floor was standing Makarov, who began to explain all the details, some of them already told, about the attack on Fairy Tail and especially on two of its members. Gajeel maintained his hard look, but shifted uncomfortably in his seat: he hated being the center of attention. And not all the guild members were comfortable with having now two dragons among their peers. But the presence of Levy beside him helped Gajeel to relax a little.

Natsu meanwhile wasn't even aware of the gaze of others. Covered in bandages but too focused on what Makarov would say, the way everything would proceed now.

"Listen brats! We must do things carefully. Tomorrow morning our allies in other hidden guilds will arrive here to start the counterattack. Not only we have to protect our guild, but we will also rescue the other three dragons in possession of Grimoire Heart and Oracion Seis. Prevent the resurrection of Tartaros, Zeref biggest weapon, is also very important".

"Oracion Sais? That is how idiots who decided to attack me are called? "Natsu shouted.

"Seis Natsu. Stop interrupting the master!" Lucy rebuked him, and added trembling "Tartaros? The dark guild ...that was destroyed by Acnologia..."

"Indeed"

The intervention of the guilds against the demons' plans was a common thing to face day by day. But every time the black dragon of the Apocalypse appeared, the calamity was inevitable. This happened in her hometown with Levy, and also with Tartaros: the most powerful demons of Zeref were destroyed by the beast. And so it could happen at any moment. Acnologia was at another level, higher than what they could handle. They didn't need to add that to the resurrection of the dark guild.

With the mention of those names, Natsu stiffened: Acnologia, the culprit of the death of his father, Igneel ... and Tartaros, the reason why they were tortured for so many years.

"Not that I want to be pessimistic, but how are we going to rescue them? We don't even know where they are, "said Cana sitting at the bar, a keg of beer at her side "even with my cards I can't find their location, or predict their movements".

Before someone answered, Erza stepped in"Do not worry about that. Leave it to me. I know someone who undoubtedly will be able and willing to help…" She said it with a tone of security that no one dared to question what Erza said, even though they didn't know who was she speaking about. But the air of mystery ended a second later.

Mirajane approached her side, a smile on her face "Oh Erza, you're talking about your fiancée right? Jellal will be very helpful in a situation like this".

With this comment Erza blushed, and had it not been another S-class mage like the she-devil, she would have knocked Mira out for making a comment like that in front of everyone "You aren't supposed to say that! After all, Jellal remains being a fugitive"

"Jellal has nothing to worry about. The Magic Council won´t object to this plan. Stopping Zeref is paramount," Makarov told Erza to calm her down.

With this last remark everyone started wondering why he stated that, but before someone could ask, Gildarts, who was next to Cana, explained: "Even we aren´t completely sure of what Zeref is scheming. It is something that has been planned for a long time, extracting the magic power of dragons being his priority at the beginning."

"Revenge against Acnologia, world' destruction ... It doesn't sound strange," murmured Lucy.

Makarov nodded "Meanwhile, no one should be alone tonight and at any single moment. It's too dangerous, so ... Fairy Hills and Lucy apartment are left out of the list!"

"Ehhh? Wait moment "Lucy said a little upset" What does my department have to do with this? "

"Oh Lu, we all know where you live" Levy said smiling.

"It wouldn't surprise me if the enemies also know where it is located" Gray said, hand on his chin.

"Well, this is disturbing and scares me…" but Lucy had nothing to discuss: everything they said was true. Natsu practically slept in her bed whenever he could, and even Gray, Erza and Cana appeared several times in her apartment by surprise.

"This only means, everyone should sleep accompanied tonight" Mira's mind had only romantic settings in her head "so begin to cluster and form groups. We don't want to have another accident" she added more seriously. And no one would question the Take Over mage.

The murmurs began to be heard, as everyone started to organize their night. Especially the girls living in Fairy Hills.

"Oh I see, like a big sleep over party!" said Erza with shiny eyes

"I don't think she meant that"

"Well Lev, this means tonight you stay with me, gihi" Gajeel said to Levy, touching her shoulder, catching her attention.

But instead she froze, blushing a bit. She was used to this kind of jokes coming from the dragon slayer, but it seems that this time was for real. That made her blush a little. Spend the night with him alone? It wouldn't be the first time, they were in many missions before as a team. Since he came to the guild. But…

But lately, the things she felt for Gajeel were not only like friends ...

"Well?" asked Gajeel, his smile fading. Levy didn't realized that she hadn't answered his question yet, and this made him feel a bit nervous. Was she still scared?

"Y-yes! Of course. Let's go and pack quickly" she blurted out, offering a smile that made his insecurities disappear. Gajeel closed his eyes and smiled "Let's go then"

Droy and Jet were watching the whole scene from afar, pining but happy inside "No case. These two need to realize what we all can see"

* * *

It was nearing dusk in Magnolia, bars and underground sites began to fill with people. Among these people a redheaded woman, almost all her body was covered by a cloack. If someone recognized her as a member of the guild, she would be in trouble. Not having a problem in defeating anyone who gets in her way, but with the Magic Council after that.

However the person who she had to meet with will found her without a doubt.

Erza was sitting at the bar, the alcoholic drink in front of her untouched. When she felt someone sitting beside her and ordering the same thing, she looked to meet Jellal, who seemed to be smiling under the handkerchief that covered much of his face and mark on it.

It wasn't the first time they met in secret, usually spending many nights together.

"I thought you liked to drink, Erza" that comment made her blush. Why he had to say something like that first?

"You'll never make me forget what happened that Christmas, right?" she promised never drinking a drop of alcohol near Jellal again. Although that night was not bad after that.

"I don't think so ... It is rare from you to call me so suddenly. What happened? " Straight to the point.

"This is about the Balam Alliance, precisely Oracion Seis and Grimoire Heart. We are sure that they are attacking us and trying to get the dragon slayers. Reviving the Nine Demon Gates is our guess of what they are intending to do"

"That would be disastrous. We have enough with common demons, we don't need Tartaros involved ... In wich way I can help?"

"By locating their base, I know that's a lot to ask for, but we are at zero. We only learned a few things thanks to Natsu and Gaj ..." Erza stopped when Jellal started laughing.

"That is very easy, Erza. You remember Meredy, right?"

* * *

 **I wanted to make this chapter longer expanding on the night, but I wasn't sure. I can't wait to see the christmas and punishment game OVAs, that is why I mentioned Erza being drunk haha. Thanks a lot _Agent Phil_ and _shamwoohoo_ for your reviews!**


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